The City of Ottawa should try to trim 1,000 positions — 500 more than the city manager has suggested is possible, says the mayor.

Eliminating 500 jobs mainly through attrition over the next three years could save $35 million, Kent Kirkpatrick told the city's long-range financial planning committee Tuesday afternoon.

"I said that's a good first start," Mayor Larry O'Brien told reporters afterward. "And I said I'd like to go to 1,000 — I'm a bit of a target-maker."

Kirkpatrick was outlining how the city could save more than $100 million over the next three years.

The savings are needed to keep O'Brien's promise of a zero per cent tax increase over the remaining three years of his term.

Kirkpatrick said in addition to eliminating the jobs, the city could take advantage of new technology, manage city assets better and improve productivity to achieve the savings.

Meanwhile, some councillors, including Alex Cullen, were skeptical about O'Brien's proposed cuts.

"Anyone who thinks that we can lop off a thousand jobs without affecting services isn't dealing with the reality of civic government," he said.

Neither the mayor nor the city manager offered details about where the job cuts might happen.

However, any such cuts would need city council approval before proceeding.